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Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-owlThe Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-owl (CFPO) is a small owl (6.5 inches) that reaches the northern end of it's range in Southern Arizona. It is somewhat common in parts of Sonora (esp. in the south), but is often very localized. Habitat for the CFPO in the northern 2/3 of the state is patchy. Historically in Arizona the CFPO inhabited areas from the Phoenix area south and west, and from Tucson in the east to beyond Ajo in the west. As of this 2007 they are mostly extirpated from the state outside of Organ Pipe, the Tohono O'odham Nation, and the Altar Valley Southwest of Tucson.

The CFPO was an endangered species in the U.S., but lost it's status. There is currently a relisting petition (PDF) by the Tucson based Center for Biological Diversity, but likelihood of relisting is not high. (May 2007)

In northern Sonora near the Arizona border the CFPO has been declining significantly since 2000 when Aaron Flesch form the University of Arizona began monitoring their numbers. He released this detailed report in 2008.

The pygmy-owl is a very charismatic bird... I like calling them charismatic microfauna. They are quite handsome and have a very likable personality. They are crepuscular, meaning they are most active at dawn and dusk, but can be active at any time of the day, as well on full moon nights when visibility is increased.

CFPO's diet is varied and consist mostly of lizards, birds, small mammals, as well as some invertebrates such as moths, beetles, grasshoppers, and even ants. Hunting is usually accomplished by perching and pouncing on unwary creatures that pass by. They are quite impressive predators with relatively large talons and amazingly take Gila Woodpeckers, huge Spiny Lizards as well as super-quick Whiptails, and apparently a Gambel's Quail from time to time.

Nesting takes place in tree and columnar cactus cavities (almost always Saguaro cavities in the northern Sonora and Arizona). CFPO's usually lay 3 - 5 white, roundish eggs in April and take care of young for approximately 4 months before the young start disbursing to find a territory of their own.

Pygmy-owls have relatively large territories up to 30+ square kilometers and are very territorial. This makes them very detectable as they almost always respond to broadcasts of their call. CFPO territorial call is a short whistle repeated about 2.5 to 3 times a second... hear the male's call.

The CFPO's preferred habitat in the Sonoran Desert and Semi-desert Grasslands of northern Sonora and Arizona is larger, riparian or xero-riparian drainages that have well-developed mesquite woodland. Uplands with mesquite and/or ironwood seem to be preferred, esp. in areas where wash associated vegetation is less developed. Occasionally the owls seem to be able to survive and reproduce in amazingly desolate patches of the Sonoran Desert.

Photos of CFPO's

More info about CFPO's:

• White paper: Significance of the Western Population(s) of the Cactus Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl (PDF)(Fish and Wildlife Service 2003)
• Distribution, abundance, and habitat of CFPO in Sonora (PDF)(A. Flesch 2003)
• Trends and productivity of CFPO in Northern Sonora (PDF)(A. Flesch 2005)
• Roadways and CFPO's in Northern Sonora (PDF)(A. Flesch 2004)
• Click here for the Center's pygmy-owl page
• -Fish and Wildlife Service's pygmy-owl page

• Sky Island Alliance:
  great local organization.
• Madrean Archipelago Biodiversity Assessment:
  online searchable database for Sonoran flora and fauna
• Center for Biological Diversity:
  great less local organization.
• Rainwater Harvesting:
  don't drink the Colorado River and pay money to Tucson Water.
• Mt. Graham Coalition:
  fighting cultural desecration and environmental destruction on Southern Arizona's tallest Sky Island.
• Northern Jaguar Project:
  working to protect remaining Jaguars in Sonora.
• Peace Supplies:
  local alternative printed supplies and service... feral press.
• Sierra Madre Alliance:
  fighting logging in the Sierra Madre, as well as the simultanious eradication of traditional Tarahumara culture.
• Daniel Patterson's Blog:
  a sensible voice for Tucson and Southern AZ.
• SierraRios:
  Info on rivers and river running in Mexico and Sonora. Well built website with lots of helpful info, pictures, and stories from some seriously wild rivers.
• AZ Indymedia:
  News not beholden to corporate interest. Publish your own news.
• Wild Arizona:
  Info and photo about Wild Arizona.
• Public lands fee program:
  more insidious than you think.
• Sky Jacobs:
  Photography, art, and biocentrism in the southwest.
• Aaron Flesch:
  Natural history and science of Sonoran birds and much more.
• Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
  A great resource for information about the region.

Doll with WoodHere are a few things that have struck me as uniquely Sonoran, or at least I've found amusing and have started associating with Sonora.

Rural sonorenses have quite a sense of humor, although it is often twisted and likely to be offensive to your average gringo. The most common and uninvolved chiste you're likely to see is the coke bottle or Tecate can on the end of an ocotillo branch... or sometimes a dead cow's stiff tail. Tires are often tossed over young saguaros or trees to be impressive years later when the saguaro has many large arms and somehow has a tire around its base.

To the right we have a simple Doll that easily became a quite amusing and well endowed chiste near Cucurpe.

More often than not the humor will involve something dead... most often cows. Death is everywhere in Sonora and it is not something Sonorans are shy of, and in fact can often be successfully made into jokes.No Standing or Stopping

Sonorans have other unique habits. At least in rough areas near the border, they love turning over and torching abandoned cars. Of course they strip them to the chasis first (the poor persons recycling)... then of course, ¡Burn it up!

More Sonoran humor... this is a no parking sign in a corral on a dead end road near Sasabe. We love camping here to hide from the narcos, banditos and constant migrant/pollero traffic. It's so lawless in this area we figured getting a parking ticket was the least of our worries.

Once in this same spot we had what appears to be the only Mexican Air Force in the border region, an old vietnam era huey, consider landing in a muddy cow pit to check us out. Another encounter with the Mexican Air Force was at the Seri Coast where world war II era planes either wanted to give us an extensive air show or try to get better looks at scantilly-clad gringas on the beach by flying about 20 feet over our heads a dozen or more times.

Many local trash dumps (basureros) are always on fire - plastics smoldering away for years and decades. Camping downwind of one is a good way to get cancer right away. Ahhh the lovely and ubiquitous smell of burning plastic! You can expect to smell something burning almost anytime you are in the vicinity of civilization. Fire can be a great tool... and lots of fun!

Dead Cow on FenceWildfires are not looked at in the same way in Mexico. It is not uncommon to see a bufflegrass fire on the side of the highway or a mountain range smoldering for weeks. No one attempts to put them out. I love it. In the U.S. everyone is so scared of fire and seem to lose all sense of reason when it comes to fire.

I still can't get over the way many rural sonorans (males) sometimes greet one another. It's a little hard to explain in writing, but it's basically a guteral 'hiiiupp'... often with nod of the head. It's sounds like if you were herding cows. Occasionally Sonorans seem to find it amusing seeing a gringo using this local tongue.

It is amazing how few U.S. gringos one sees in most of Sonora. There are healthy streams of tourist vehicles on their way to Puerto Piñasco or San Carlos, but off the beaten path it is amazingly rare. So rare that it almost seems odd.